Family: Hardin in medically induced coma

Published: Thursday, October 3, 2013 at 09:12 AM.

Talley said the MCPD and the District Attorney requested the SBI investigate the incident.

Police declined to comment as to whether the officer was shot by another officer; if the incident was a weapon misfire; how many shots were fired; if the shots were fired from a service weapon; where the gunshot wound was on the officer's body; the nature of the training; or who was involved in the training.

Morehead City Police Chief Wrenn Johnson said the State Bureau of Investigations and the department are investigating the shooting per SBI protocol.

Hardin's aunt, Lee Anne Flanagan was subdued as she spoke about her nephew's night at the hospital.

Flanagan said Hardin, who was not wearing a bullet proof vest, was shot in the sternum and the bullet broke through the sternum and damaged all three lobes of the lung. She said they had to perform extensive surgery Wednesday.

Thursday morning, she said he had been put in a medically-induced coma for his own protection.

“He has to be very still right now,” she said.

Flanagan said the officer who accidentally shot her nephew visited Hardin Wednesday night, and it is her understanding that they are close friends.

“He was devastated,” she said, stating that Hardin's mom has an “enormous amount of empathy for that young man.”

Flanagan said her nephew, who will turn 23 on Nov. 10, has been on the Morehead City Police Department force, his first job, for approximately two years.

“As long as I've known, he's always wanted to be a police officer,” Flanagan said.

She said he got his schooling in Greenville, and was offered a job in Havelock, his hometown, and Morehead City.

She said he chose Morehead City because wherever he goes in Havelock, he always has people calling out his name, and he thought it would be easier to work as an officer somewhere where he didn't know everyone.

“He's such a great kid,” she said, mentioning that he is engaged to be married in May. “He has a lot to live for. “He's young, he's strong, he's completely healthy except for that bullet damage.”

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Updated at 10:08 a.m.

MCPD officials said Thursday morning that the SBI investigation is still ongoing, and no more details would be disclosed at this time.

MCPD Accreditation and Support Services Manager Amy Thompson said Chief Wrenn Johnson would not be releasing any more information Thursday because the department would be focusing on the officer who is injured and his family. Thompson said the chief also wants to focus on providing quality service to citizens.

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Updated at 9:59 a.m. to include additional information

A Morehead City police officer remains in critical condition after being shot during a training exercise on Wednesday, according to Beth Anne Atkins, corporate communications specialist at Vidant Medical Center.

Garrett Hardin was transported to Vidant Medical Center Wednesday morning after being shot during training at Morehead City Police Department.

During a press conference Wednesday, police withheld details of the shooting, including Hardin's name and condition, but did confirm the shot was fired outside the Morehead City Police Department.

However, Noelle Talley, spokesperson for the N.C. Department of Justic, confirmed that one officer accidentally shot Hardin during training.

Talley said the MCPD and the District Attorney requested the SBI investigate the incident.

Police declined to comment as to whether the officer was shot by another officer; if the incident was a weapon misfire; how many shots were fired; if the shots were fired from a service weapon; where the gunshot wound was on the officer's body; the nature of the training; or who was involved in the training.

Morehead City Police Chief Wrenn Johnson said the State Bureau of Investigations and the department are investigating the shooting per SBI protocol.